In his first endorsement since suspending his presidential campaign, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got behind Republican Darryl Glenn, one of five GOP candidates in the U.S. Senate primary, and plans to headline a rally for the El Paso County commissioner Monday morning near Denver International Airport, the Glenn campaign announced Friday.

“Darryl earned the support of 70 percent of the delegates present at the Colorado GOP convention and is a committed public servant and small business owner who bravely served our nation as a U.S. Air Force officer,” Cruz said in a statement. “He is a constitutional conservative with the experience to understand what it takes to bring back economic growth and preserve our individual liberties.”

The Cruz nod follows an endorsement of Glenn by the Senate Conservatives Fund, which has been pouring money into television and radio advertising in support of the candidate, who refers to himself as “Michael Bennet’s worst nightmare,” referring to the Democratic incumbent. Glenn also routinely calls himself “an unapologetic Christian, constitutional conservative, pro-life, Second-Amendment-loving American.”

The endorsement by Cruz is a bit of a slap to Glenn’s primary rival Robert Blaha, who endorsed Cruz a couple of days before the state Republican convention. Blaha, a Colorado Springs businessman, has since endorsed presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Glenn and Blaha are vying for the most conservative Republican voters in the June 28 primary, which also includes former state lawmaker Jon Keyser and businessmen Ryan Frazier of Aurora and Jack Graham of Fort Collins. Mail ballots went out to voters statewide last week.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also lent her support to Glenn earlier this month.

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com